[FRIAM] Is the American political system broken?

[Pieter Steenekamp]

I'm not an American, but because America plays such a big role in the
world, I do follow what's happening over there. With the presidential
elections happening next year, I cringe at the prospect that it will be
another Trump vs. Biden affair. Can the leader of the world not do better?

During the primaries of the last election, Andrew Yang intrigued me to no
end. He did not make it as a candidate for the Democratic Party and
subsequently formed a new party. He is now an outspoken critic of the
American political system and has some proposals on how to fix it.

To educate myself I asked Bing AI to write three essays:
a) One for Andrew Yang's views
b) One against it
c) Lastly an objective review of the two views above

Bing AI answered with:
I'm glad you're interested in learning more about Andrew Yang's view on the
American political system. I can help you write three essays based on the
information I found from the web. Here they are:

a) Essay for Andrew Yang's view:

Andrew Yang is a former presidential and mayoral candidate who has recently
launched a new political party called Forward (or FWD). Yang believes that
the American political system is broken and needs to be reformed to reduce
polarization, corruption, and dysfunction. He argues that the current
two-party system is outdated and does not represent the interests of most
Americans, who are increasingly dissatisfied with both Democrats and
Republicans. He also claims that the system is rigged by special interests,
lobbyists, and wealthy donors who influence the policies and outcomes of
elections.

Yang's solution is to create a third party that is focused on moving the
country forward, rather than left or right. He proposes a set of reforms
that he thinks will improve the quality of democracy and governance in the
U.S. Some of these reforms include:

- Implementing ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank candidates
in order of preference, rather than choosing only one. This would encourage
more diversity and competition in the political arena, and reduce the
spoiler effect and negative campaigning.
- Adopting open primaries, which allow voters to participate in any party's
primary election, regardless of their affiliation. This would increase
voter turnout and engagement, and give more voice and power to independent
and moderate voters.
- Enacting term limits for Congress, which would limit the number of terms
that members of the House and Senate can serve. This would reduce the
influence of career politicians and lobbyists, and encourage more fresh and
innovative ideas and perspectives.
- Creating a universal basic income (UBI), which would provide every
American adult with a monthly payment of $1,000, regardless of their income
or employment status. This would help alleviate poverty, inequality, and
insecurity, and boost the economy and consumer spending.
- Reforming the electoral college, which would either abolish or modify the
system that determines the winner of presidential elections based on
state-level votes, rather than popular votes. This would make every vote
count equally, and prevent scenarios where a candidate can win the
presidency without winning the majority of votes.

Yang believes that these reforms will create a more responsive,
representative, and accountable political system that will serve the common
good of all Americans. He hopes that his new party will attract voters from
across the political spectrum who are looking for a positive and pragmatic
alternative to the status quo.

b) Essay against Andrew Yang's view:

Andrew Yang is a former presidential and mayoral candidate who has recently
launched a new political party called Forward (or FWD). Yang claims that
the American political system is broken and needs to be reformed to reduce
polarization, corruption, and dysfunction. However, his view is misguided
and unrealistic for several reasons.

First, Yang's diagnosis of the problem is oversimplified and exaggerated.
He blames the two-party system for all the ills of American politics, but
ignores the fact that there are many other factors that contribute to the
challenges facing the country, such as social media, misinformation,
cultural differences, economic forces, global events, etc. He also fails to
acknowledge the benefits and achievements of the two-party system, such as
its stability, adaptability, accountability, and responsiveness to public
opinion.

Second, Yang's solution is impractical and ineffective. He proposes a set
of reforms that he thinks will improve the quality of democracy and
governance in the U.S., but does not explain how he will implement them or
overcome the resistance from the existing parties and institutions. He also
does not address the potential drawbacks and unintended consequences of his
reforms, such as:

- Ranked-choice voting could lead to more confusion and complexity for
voters and election officials, as well as more legal challenges and
disputes over vote counting and results.
- Open primaries could undermine party cohesion and identity, as well as
allow for strategic voting and manipulation by opposing parties or factions.
- Term limits for Congress could reduce institutional knowledge and
expertise, as well as increase dependence on staff and lobbyists.
- Universal basic income could create disincentives for work and
productivity, as well as increase government spending and debt.
- Reforming the electoral college could weaken federalism and state
sovereignty, as well as increase regional polarization and alienation.

Yang's new party is unlikely to succeed or make a significant impact on
American politics. He faces many obstacles and challenges in building a
viable third party that can compete with the established parties, such as
fundraising, organizing, recruiting candidates, gaining media attention,
attracting voters, etc. He also risks splitting or diluting the vote of his
supporters or allies in other parties, which could benefit his opponents or
adversaries.

Yang's view on the American political system is based on wishful thinking
and naive optimism. He does not offer a realistic or effective way to
address the complex and multifaceted issues facing the country.

c) Objective review of the two views above:

Andrew Yang is a former presidential and mayoral candidate who has recently
launched a new political party called Forward (or FWD). Yang has a view
that the American political system is broken and needs to be reformed to
reduce polarization, corruption, and dysfunction. He proposes a set of
reforms that he thinks will improve the quality of democracy and governance
in the U.S., such as ranked-choice voting, open primaries, term limits for
Congress, universal basic income, and reforming the electoral college. He
hopes that his new party will attract voters from across the political
spectrum who are looking for a positive and pragmatic alternative to the
status quo.

However, Yang's view is not universally accepted or supported. There are
many arguments and counterarguments for and against his view and his
reforms. Some of the main points of contention are:

- The causes and extent of the problem: Yang blames the two-party system
for all the ills of American politics, but others point out that there are
many other factors that contribute to the challenges facing the country,
such as social media, misinformation, cultural differences, economic
forces, global events, etc. They also argue that the two-party system has
some benefits and achievements, such as its stability, adaptability,
accountability, and responsiveness to public opinion.
- The feasibility and effectiveness of the solution: Yang proposes a set of
reforms that he thinks will improve the quality of democracy and governance
in the U.S., but others question how he will implement them or overcome the
resistance from the existing parties and institutions. They also warn of
the potential drawbacks and unintended consequences of his reforms, such as
confusion, complexity, legal challenges, party fragmentation, strategic
voting, loss of institutional knowledge, dependence on staff and lobbyists,
disincentives for work, increased government spending and debt, weakened
federalism and state sovereignty, increased regional polarization and
alienation, etc.
- The viability and impact of the new party: Yang hopes that his new party
will succeed or make a significant impact on American politics, but others
doubt his ability to build a viable third party that can compete with the
established parties. They cite the many obstacles and challenges he faces
in fundraising, organizing, recruiting candidates, gaining media attention,
attracting voters, etc. They also caution that he risks splitting or
diluting the vote of his supporters or allies in other parties, which could
benefit his opponents or adversaries.

In conclusion, Andrew Yang's view on the American political system is a
controversial and contentious one. There are pros and cons to his view and
his reforms. There are also uncertainties and risks to his new party. The
debate over his view is likely to continue as he pursues his political
aspirations.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 2023/09/03
(1) Andrew Yang's Forward Political Party Views, Explained - Market
Realist.
https://marketrealist.com/economy-and-politics/andrew-yang-political-party-explained/
.
(2) What does Andrew Yang believe? Where the candidate stands on 5 issues -
PBS.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-does-andrew-yang-believe-where-the-candidate-stands-on-5-issues
.
(3) Andrew Yang’s Disjointed Plan to Reform American Democracy.
https://newrepublic.com/article/153888/andrew-yangs-disjointed-plan-reform-american-democracy
.
(4) Andrew Yang’s Third-Party Aspirations | The New Yorker.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/andrew-yangs-third-party-aspirations.
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